


Let's Piece Together a Family

by GypsyArt



Category: Wolverine and the X-Men (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Abandonment, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, New Family, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-10-01 14:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17245931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GypsyArt/pseuds/GypsyArt
Summary: To prove his point as to how serious he was, Remy began rolling up both his sleeves to show several still healing horizontal jagged cuts that littered both his forearms. At the stilling of Raven’s breath Remy let out a rueful chuckle. “Remy know good catholic boy ain’ suppose to commit suicide. That it be a sin, but this Cajun’s whole life been a sin, so he thought what be one more? That he gonna burn in hell all da same, so why it matter why he be burn’n.”OR: Instead of going back to the X-men, Remy wants nothing more than to forget the people who abandoned him in Antartica, and goes to an old friend who he believes can help. But instead of forgetting he is reminded of all the reasons to keep going despite the pain of betrayal.Remy LeBeau/OFC





	1. What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> I've always loved Remy as a character, but hated how he went back to the X-men after the whole Antartica saga, and how they treated him. This is simply an alternative take as to one of the hundreds of different paths Remy could have taken instead.

**Chapter 1**

**Texas, El Paso**

**Mach, 6th**

**Normal POV:**

 

Raven jumped up from where she had been partially passed out on a teal colored couch half unconscious. Bloodshot eyes frantically looked around trying to recall where she was, and once the realization settled that she was in her own home she slummed back with ease into the soft cushions of the couch.

But the pounding at the door- which she realized was what woke her up- persisted to a point where it was hard to ignore.

“Laura!” Raven called out, and moments passed, and she was meet with nothing but silence “Laura……Laura…..Nicolo…..” She continued calling hoarsely with no answer, but the pounding of her front door. Mumbling obscenities and curses under her breath in her native tongue, Raven stood up on shaky legs only managing to take three steps before tripping and falling over a dark bottle of Concha y Toro.

“I was wondering where you went.” She mumbled easily chugging the remains of the bottle as she worked on standing up once more. This time managing to make it all the way to the door, and throwing the bottle away in the kitchen trash bin on her way.

“ _Meglio essere buono_ (Better be good).” Raven mumbled under her breath as she flung the front door of her apartment open. Despite not knowing what day it was she was sure that she didn’t have an appointment that day, and the man who was standing on the opposite side of the threshold as her dressed in baggy black sweat pants, long sleeved black sweater, and dark shaggy red hair that fell into his face with a matching beard was not someone she knew. “What do you want?” She asked coldly wishing she'd grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen before answering the door.

“Still as warm as ever chère.” The man standing leaning slightly to his right spoke. And although the voice wasn’t familiar to her, the accent was, but her mind wasn’t in a condition to try and figure out how.

“Who are you?”

“Almost hurt you didn’ figure dat out _petit oiseau_ (little bird).”

Raven let out a soft gasp, and her hand dropped from her door to her side. Her dark eyes squinted as if she’d missed something, about the man in front of her. She disliked being called by her full name, and hated nicknames even more, but there was always one person she could remember somehow always getting away with both. “R-Remy LeBeau?”

The name came out more as a question than anything else, but she soon got her answer when he let out a soft chuckle, and moved his head just enough so his hair fell from his eyes, and she could see black coals sitting on ruby red eyes. The eyes of the devil, she could suddenly hear her mother's voice whispering in her ear.

“Can he come in?” Remy asked a bit nervously, his eyes discreetly looking at both ends of the the hallway before once more settling on the woman in front of him.

“Yes, yes.” She stepped aside letting him into her apartment, and closing the door behind him, before leading him towards her living room. The living room area was simple, and opened up to the dining area, and kitchen. It had a simple long teal sofa, and matching love seat, some side tables, and a large flat screen television. Remy observed his new surroundings carefully taking not of but note saying anything about the wine bottles stacked on top of the white coffee table- he counted six.

“How long has it been?” Raven asked seeing Remy take a seat in the love seat, and moved to the sofa that she’d woken up on minutes earlier, as she tried to remember the last time that she’d seen the man before her. She doubted that he was a man then.

“Eight years.” Remy spoke with certainty. His father, and her step father, as well as her mother often did business together, meaning that as children both him and Raven had crossed passed several times, though both could only remember three for certain.

Raven nodded not bothering to ask him how he’d found her after almost a decade of no contact. He was after all raised by thieves and she knew first hand they had their ways of tracking and finding people, so she skipped straight to the point having an incline as to why he was there. “So which of my services are you here for?”

“Remy need you to take some of his memories away.”

Remy spoke clearly and unwaveringly, but something about his request threw Raven off. She had expected him to ask of her for anything from a fake passport to forged official government documents, but nothing like that…..nothing dealing with her mutant abilities. “W-what?”

“Remy heard you do dat now. You’ll take away someone’s memories for the right price.”

“Yes, but…..”

“If you worried that Remy can’t pay h-“

“It’s nothing like that.” Thieves had been some of her best clients when she’d first gotten into the business of forgery for herself. And as long as they were coming from a reputable Guild she had no problem taking them on as clienteles. “I-Its just that…….I haven’t seen you in eight years and you just show up on my door step asking me to take away all your memories.”

“Not all of dem.” Remy sighed rubbing his head, when he saw Raven make a gesture to continue. “Remy’s been through a lot dis year…….a lot of bad things, and he comes to realize dat he only has two choices left in life……”

“What are those.”

“Either Remy die or he forget ‘cause he can’ live with himself knowing.”

“Remy you can’t be serious.”

To prove his point as to how serious he was, Remy began rolling up both his sleeves to show several still healing horizontal jagged cuts that littered both his forearms. At the stilling of Raven’s breath Remy let out a rueful chuckle. “Remy know good catholic boy ain’ suppose to commit suicide. That it be a sin, but this Cajun’s whole life been a sin, so he thought what be one more? That he gonna burn in hell all da same, so why it matter why he be burn’n.”

“Remy….” Raven wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t good at this. She wasn’t good at talking to people or showing emotion or even caring for others unless she knew there was something for her at the end of it. But the man in front of her was probably the closest thing she probably had left to a friend which was saying something since she hadn’t seen him since she was about sixteen, and right now he needed her, and she wasn’t sure what to do. “W-what happened?”

She decided that finding out what happened to the laid back, happy, and slightly troublesome teenager that she had remembered was a good enough start.

“Can’ you just take a peak in Remy’s old head find out for yourself.”

“No.” The lie came out quick and she was sure that he knew it was a lie. Of course she could look into his memories, hell she could pull it out and place it in any surface to play for the world to see like a bootleg video, but she was slightly scared at the possibility of what she would see, it was safer if he just told her. “If you want me to do it you have have to tell me.”

“Long or short version?”

“Whichever explains why your here……why you came to me.”

“I was betrayed and left to die.” Remy rolled his sleeves down, and let out a soft sigh as he spoke, but it wasn’t his initial words that had taken the dark haired woman aback but how they were worded. He was not speaking in third person but first person, as if it was his way of disassociating with what he was about to tell her. “I was a hero…….or I was trying to be, I was trying to make things right, with my past…..for all my sins, but I guess I didn’t try hard enough. They-my team…couldn’t see Re-me for more than my sins, couldn’t understand my redemption. To them all I ever was, was an outsider and at the first chance they got they left me to die. They put me on trail for the Morlock Massacre-for the killing of our own kind. They played judge and jury, and found me guilty of everything. And Rou-the woman I loved.....the woman I gave all my heart to sh-she played my executioner. Abandoned me in Antartica without even a shirt on my back. I spent a whole week trudging threw Antartica with nothing but pants and shoes……......”

Raven hadn’t noticed how she leaned forwards over the sofa arm, or how enthralled she’d become by his story. Although she knew it was more than a story……he was in to much pain talking for it to just be a story. “How’d you survive.”

“The Devil……He always said he’d be there for me when nobody else would….never wanted to believe it…..but he did and all I had to do was sell my soul……...again.....” Another humorless chuckle slipped between his chapped lips. “I thought that was the worse of it….being left for dead by the people I trusted, then having the devil save my life……Afterward I still thought about going back to them….to her but I’m no fool or maybe I got too much pride, but either way I swore I’d never go back. Père (dad) found me and convinced me to come back home to New Orleans instead, where I belonged, but it didn’t get much better…..” Remy sighed rubbing his temples with a shaky hand. His red eyes had been clouded ever since the start. “But the nightmare when I’m asleep, and the thoughts when I’m awake…It’s been eight months of no peace…….peace thats the least I deserve…..”

“Thats why you came to me.” Out of all her years of using her ability to make a profit no ones ever come to her with a story like Remy’s. Usually they came to her because they wanted her to take away or change the memory of someone they'd wronged, they wanted the easy forgiveness of someone else, and maybe if thats what Remy was asking of her she would have been more willing. But never because they wanted to forget the wrong someone had done to them. Never had they wanted their own memories to be tampered with.

“ _Oui_ (Yes).”

“I need a drink. You need a drink?” Before she could even get a response Raven had already walked the short distance to her fridge where she found a bright purple sticky note attached to it.

“What do you have?”

“Wine, wine and more wine.” Raven answered as she pulled the note off the fridge which was written in perfect Spanish in small handwriting.

 

 

> _‘Nicole is away on a school field trip for the weekend and will not be back until Monday afternoon. You will need to pick him up from school at 12:00pm ~~Laura’_

 

That explains it.

“What a surprise……” Remy spoke to himself dryly as his eyes wandered back to the stacked bottles on the coffee table. “Remy fine.”

“More for me.” Raven threw the note out as she pulled out a large wine glass and bottle of Spanish Verdejo. Easily opening it, she poured it to the top of the glass and made it back to the living room, taking several gulps before she spoke. “I don’t think you understand what your asking me to do for you Remy?”

“Take the memories away. You don’ even gotta put in new ones. Just make him forget what she did to him.”

“My powers-they don’t always work like I want them to. Taking away your memories doesn’t always mean that you forget. The memories may be gone, but the feelings that came with them won’t be….” Raven took a small sip as she did the best to explain what people didn’t understand about her powers. “…..I can take the memories, but the pain they cause……it’ll always be there…..especially if there giving you nightmares, I don’t have the ability to control dreams too….....and those dreams they’ll.....they’ll only make the memories come back sooner, and the intensity that they come back in....its worse...”

“So you can’t help Remy either huh?”

For the first time in a long time Raven felt something along the lines of empathy for someone else. “I-I’m sorry. I wish I could make whatever your going through easier.”

“S’okay. Remy probably deserve this.” Remy gave a small forced smile. “Can he have some of that wine now.”

“Of corse.” Raven handed him her glass and went up to get the rest of the bottle she’d left on the counter, as well as another glass. When she’d gotten back she noticed the glass that she had left half full was now completely empty.....what she didn't notice was how gently his hand was shaking from holding the glass for so long. Not saying anything she refilled his glass and then her own. “What now?”

“Remy not gonna kill himself if thats what you worried about.”

“I’m not.” Raven crossed her legs and sat back on the couch. “But I can't imagine Jean-Luc being able to handle losing you so soon after losing Henri.”

“You know Henri died?”

“Lapin had called to tell me. I wasn't going o go at first, but I always hate myself for never saying goodbye......The service was really nice. I asked about you, and nobody would tell me where you were, but I know now.”

Remy felt a bit surprised at first that she had kept in touch with anyone in his family, but then remembered how much of a crush she had on his older brother when they were kids, and how all his cousins had loved her during those few months she had spent in their house. She had been a natural fit in their dysfunctional group of mischief.

“You’re right. Remy can’ do that to his père (dad).” The last time he had cut himself, tried to take his own life, it was his père (dad) who had found him, and held him trying to stop the bleeding until an ambulance came. The scene had reminded him of how he was the one to hold onto Henri as he bleed out in his arms, how he felt the life leave his body forever. He hated himself for making his père (dad) go through that, and that’s what pushed hime to go searching for the woman in front of him.

“So what now?”

  
“Remy don’ know. He don’ wanna kill himself.... _mais_ (but) he don’ think there’s anything left in this world for him. He has nothing left to live for...........”

 


	2. Thoughts

**Chapter 2:**   _Thoughts_

**Texas, El Paso**

**Mach, 7th**

**Normal POV:**

 

“Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

This time when Raven woke up she found herself longed uncomfortably on the floor of her living room, head laid against the cushion of her teal sofa, and knees drawn up with an empty bottle in-between. Almost as equally slumped and asleep next to her was Remy.

“I thought you were gone for the weekend.” Raven sat up straight, and looked up at Laura through blurry and unfocused eyes.

“It is Monday.” Laura responded in a thick Mexican accent. She had always tried not to let her irritation to her employer show outwardly, but the longer she worked for her the harder it was, especially whenever she had strange and shady men in the house like the one right now. “You where to pick up Nicolo.”

“Oh, what time is it?”

“One.”

“Okay.” Raven stood on shaky legs, stepping over two additional wine bottles, and passed by Laura to go to the kitchen, she couldn’t remember if she had ate yesterday……or any of the days before. “Where’s Nicolo?”

“He’s in his room. I did not want him to see his mother half naked on the floor with some random-“

Before Laura could finish her sentence Raven had slammed the door of the cabinet she had been rummaging through shut with a loud thud. “I would think very carefully about your next words.”

Laura took a shaky breath looking away from her employers naturally onyx eyes. The young woman before her was never physically violent, but her threats were just as bad as that. Laura had illegally come into America over ten years ago after her husband had died in order to find better job to be able to support her children and family back home. Shortly after starting work as a nanny for Raven’s only son she had a run in with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). She was in fear of being deported or worse, and Raven had offered to forge her a green card and documentation letters for her as well as her two kids and parents. 

Despite knowing it was wrong Raven had been her best paying employer, and the offer was too good to pass over. In one swoop the woman had promised her nearly everything she had been working for over a decade, and in less than a month she had become a _‘legal U.S’_ citizen and in two her family were also _‘legal’_ citizens. But now this all meant she was in debt to this neglectful, manipulative, alcoholic of a woman. There was no way she could stand up for the sweet quite little boy that she’d grown to love without possibly jeopardizing her own children, and there chance at a better life.

“Your right. It is not my place.” Laura spoke through gritted teeth. “Nicolo has already had lunch, and his dinner is in the fridge. I’ll pick him up to go to school in the morning with breakfast.”

With that Laura grabbed her purse on the kitchen counter, and made a quick exit out of the apartment. Raven sighed picking up her pack of Gone Nutty! PB & J Strawberry pop tarts, and headed back to the living room where she saw Remy had changed into a sitting position that was more comfortable although his eyes were still closed as if he were asleep.

Raven spoke as she took a seat on the couch unwrappingthe pop tarts from her tin foil wrapper. “How long have you been awake for?” 

“Since she was glaring down at us.” Remy spoke peaking at Raven through one red eye although it was still hidden by his over grown hair.

Raven took a bite of the first pop tart, making a face as the overly sweetened artificial flavors assaulted her taste buds. “I should probably fire her. She’s more of a pain than anything right now.”

“You have a kid?”

“Yes.”

“A son?”

“Yes.”

“How old is he.”

Remy watched her as she seemed to ponder on his question. Even when they were younger he never took her much for the caring or nurturing type. When they were younger Raven had always had a long selfish streak, and that was especially seen when she interacted with her younger sisters. And even though in the present day they’d only spent a couple hours together and those hours were in intoxication, he didn’t think that changed.

“He’s seven.”

“You have a seven year old……..who’s the father?”

“I’d rather not talk about him.”

“Okay.” Remy knew when not to push someone. “Remy should get going……he don’ wanna be late for his appointment.”

“Probably.” Raven sighed following Remy into a standing position and walking him to the door. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Même (Same).”

“You should stop by again before you head back to New Orleans.”

“Remy’ll try.Take care.”

Watching only long enough to see Remy reach the elevator, Raven locked the front door and went into the kitchen pulling out a bottle of red wine from her cabinet and popped it open. _‘I’ll tell Laura to do grocery’s tomorrow. Three bottles won’t get me through the rest of the day.’_ She thought to herself as she headed to her room, but paused, going to the opposite direction where the second bedroom of the house was.

“Nico….” Raven knocked with her free hand that wasn’t holding a bottle. Getting no response she pushed the door open peaking into her sons room. The only indication that he was there was a child shaped lump in the bed under multiple covers. Sighing as she closed the door behind her Raven threw back the bottle taking multiple gulps as she made her way to her room thinking of how she could use a nap herself.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Texas, El Paso**

**Mach, 8th**

**Remy’s POV:**

 

“Oui(Yes), père (dad) Remy talk to her.”

“What she say?”

“She couldn’ do it. Couldn’ take away Remy’s memory for him.”

“I’m sorry to hear that son.” 

Even though Jean-Luc tried to sound convincing, I could hear the relief in his voice. He had been against me looking for Raven for the reasons I was, and tried multiple times to talk me out of it, by saying I was stronger than this, and with time I could over come it all like I’ve done with everything else in my life. But this wasn't like everything else.

“When will you be coming back?”

  
“Remy don’ know.....” 

“You're thinking about staying?”

“Just for a lil bit.......the weather be nicer than N'awlins.”

  
“Remy.....”

I quickly cut offmy père (dad), even though I understood where he was coming from I was feeling irritated that I had to repeat myself twice in such a short period of time. “Remy not gonna try and kill himself.”

“That ain’ what I was gonna say. But it good to know. Mais (but) if you need anything me and the guild only be one call away.” 

“Remy know. Bye père (dad).”

“Take care son.”

I sighed dropping the phone next to me on the hotel bed. To say that I hadn't been hurt when Raven said she couldn't help me would be an understatement.I had put whatever hope I had left in her, even before asking, hoping that she’d be able to take away my memories. Not of the Morlock Massacres, I’d live with those memories and nightmares that they brought me for nearly five years, and they were never even half as bad as the betrayal of the X-men of Rou-

 

_No._

 

_No._

 

_I won't say her name._

 

_I won't think of her._

 

Every time I did I felt weak, and my insides froze over. I hated her so much, but despite that a part of me still wanted no one else in this world but her. Even though she was the main reason I almost died. The reason that I almost went completely blind, lost complete mobility of both my arms, and had developed a server case of pneumonia.

Whatever was left of my heart wasn't ready to give up on her yet, even when she was the reason I was driven back into the hands of the devil himself. 

The reason I was forced to accept Sinister’s help of all people. Be in his care and at his mercy for over two months, because I hadn't, and still somehow managed to make it out I doubt that I would have been able to go back to being half the man I once was.....physically at least.

 

_‘Now What?’_

 

The question that Raven had asked me rang in my head. I had given her an answer of self-pity, and hopelessness, but that’s not what I wanted. Like Lapin had told me it wasn't a good look on me.

So how do I heal, when I’ve been broken over and over?  
  
How do I move forward with life, when I see nothing waiting for me in my future?

 

_What now?_

_What do I do?_

_What is there left for Remy LeBeau in this life?_

_There has to be something......................................._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whats your favorite Pop Tart flavor?

**Author's Note:**

> If your reading this, it means you've probably read this entire chapter and I would like to thank you very much for that! Please leave a like if you have enjoyed and leave a comment of you have any opinions on how my story could be improved. 
> 
> Thing To Know:
> 
> Remy and Raven are childhood friends
> 
> Raven is not a thief, although she is well informed on the guilds, and how they work.
> 
> Henri (Remy's Older brother) died about three years prior to this, and a couple months after Remy had joined the X-men
> 
> Raven's mutant powers is that she is able to read and manipulate peoples memories, but she can not read thoughts.
> 
> At this point Remy is still in love with Rogue which is why this all has been so hard and why he wants to forget about the X-men.


End file.
